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Baldur's Gate (Game)
Baldur's Gate, developed by Bioware and published by Black Isle Studios - Interplay Entertainment on 30 November 1998, is the first game in the ''Baldur's Gate'' series. The game using modified AD&D 2nd edition rules. Background The story follows the journey of the Gorion's Ward along the Sword Coast, which lies on the west coast of the continent Faerun, as he or she grows up following the cataclysmic Time of Troubles. Character development occurs through dialogue and battle. The game rewards the PC according to his or her moral choices. Baldur's Gate uses the Infinity Engine, which was developed by Bioware. The same engine was later used in games such as Planescape: Torment, the Icewind Dale series, the Baldur's Gate expansion pack Tales of the Sword Coast, the sequel Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and the sequel's expansion pack Throne of Bhaal. Gameplay The game was programmed within the licensed ruleset of the Forgotten Realms role-playing setting, using the AD&D 2nd edition rules, though various elements from the ruleset were modified to allow the game to be executed in real-time. Each character is in constant action, while the game can be paused at any time. During the game, past and present events are related to the player through dialogue, written text, journal entries, or cut scenes. Dialogue is initiated when the player clicks on computer controlled characters. This generates written and sometimes spoken dialogue with selectable responses. Such interactions can lead to quests or missions. The game is separated into seven chapters interspersed with segments of spoken dialogue. Free exploration of the world map is allowed in every chapter, though some areas are not unlocked until the PC advances to a certain point in the game. The player begins as a weak character, poorly equipped and without allies. As players progress, they discover new and more powerful weapons, armor, and spells, and can form a party of up to six characters (including the PC). Experience points gained through completing quests and killing monsters improve the abilities of the main character and other party members. The flow of time during the game is expressed by changes in lighting and the closure of most shops, with the increased likelihood of encounters during the night. Taverns are open during the night, but there are no changes in the presence of customers or the barkeeper to reflect the flow of time. The troupe of characters controlled by the player do become fatigued after traveling for a full day, which requires rest to recover. Plot Setting The western shore of Faerun along the Sea of Swords contains a multitude of ecologies and terrains, including mountains, forests, swamps, marshes, plains, cities, and ruins. Collectively called the Sword Coast, it attracts adventurers with both good and evil intentions, and provides the backdrop for the game's adventure. The region encompassed by the game is roughly bordered to the South by the Cloud Peaks, the East by the Wood of Sharp Teeth, the West by the Sea of Swords, and the North by Baldur's Gate, which is the largest and most affluent city in the region. The characters travel the countryside, exploring the various areas such as towns, dungeons, mines, forests, castle ruins, and Baldur's Gate itself. The main story involves the characters investigating a conspiracy, confronting the clandestine plots of organizations like the Zhentarim, the Red Wizards of Thay, The Iron Throne, the Flaming Fist, The Chill, The Black Talons, and the Harpers, and finding out the main character's own ancestry and history. Characters Apart from the Baldur's Gate companions who accompany the player, Baldur's Gate also includes several characters from the official Forgotten Realms campaign setting, such as Cadderly Bonaduce, Drizzt Do'Urden, Volothamp Geddarm, and Elminster. Story The Gorion's Ward and their friend Imoen have grown up together since childhood under the tutelage of their guardian, the mage Gorion. As orphans, they were raised in Candlekeep, an ancient fortress-turned-library in the rural Sword Coast region, which lies south of the city of Baldur's Gate. However, strange things are afoot on the Sword Coast: iron production has virtually halted, metal already produced quickly crumbles, and bandits scour the countryside seeking iron over any other treasure. Strangest of all, there are mercenaries with designs on the main character's life, even inside the secure walls of Candlekeep. Gorion knows what is going on, but will not tell the Gorion's Ward, and instead decides to leave Candlekeep and journey with the Gorion's Ward to a hiding place. However, the night after leaving Candlekeep, the pair are ambushed by a group of bandits led by a mysterious armored figure. When Gorion refuses to hand over the Gorion's Ward, he is attacked by the bandits; Gorion defeats them but dies in doing so. The Gorion's Ward soon runs into Imoen, who had been following in secret after reading a note about the journey on Gorion's desk. She too saw Gorion's murder, and now insists on accompanying the character. The nearest cities are closed to the Gorion's Ward: Candlekeep demands a unique, valuable book as its admission fee, and the city of Baldur's Gate is closed off to outsiders for fear of the bandit hordes. Seeking safety, the Gorion's Ward teams up with other adventurers, and soon he or she sets out to find the cause of the iron shortage by traveling to the source of the iron, the mines of [Nashkel. In doing so, they begins to unearth a deeper conspiracy. Kobolds have been contaminating the iron in the Nashkel mine, and documents found there connect the operation with the iron-hunting bandits, and ultimately lead the Gorion's Ward to the secret campsite of the bandits. They appear to be mobilized mercenary companies employed by the Iron Throne, a mysterious organization which is aggressively expanding its influence. The Iron Throne intends to gain control of the Sword Coast by diverting the iron supply to its own armies exclusively, and stockpiling all plundered iron at the only working iron mine in the region, deep in the Cloakwood forest. As the Gorion's Ward sabotages the mercenary installation in the Cloakwood mines, the pressure on Baldur's Gate is relieved enough for the city to be re-opened to outsiders, and the Gorion's Ward can confront the local Iron Throne leaders at their headquarters. In Baldur's Gate, the Gorion's Ward is enrolled by the Flaming Fist city guard to investigate the Iron Throne, but after no damning evidence is found, he returns to Candlekeep to spy on a meeting of the Iron Throne leaders. Much has changed in Candlekeep since the Gorion's Ward left, and it is soon revealed that the fortress has at least partially been taken over by Doppelgangers. The Gorion's Ward also encounters a mysterious man named Koveras. Soon after leaving the company of Koveras, the Gorion's Ward is charged (rightfully or falsely, depending on the player's choices) with the murder of the Iron Throne leaders. The only route of escape is through the catacombs below the monastery. The Gorion's Ward manages to escape the catacombs, and returns to Baldur's Gate. But things only get worse, as he is framed for the murder of a Flaming Fist officer and must stay hidden while working to uncover the truth, finally uncovering a grand scheme masterminded by the original armored figure, Sarevok. Seeking to confront Sarevok, they find out that he is actually half-brother to the Gorion's Ward, both of whom are children of the dead Lord of Murder, Bhaal. The Gorion's Ward Bhaalspawn ancestry explains much about their past, and raises questions about their future. Sarevok's plans turn out be much more sinister, as the Iron Throne is just a façade for his real intentions. Through manipulation of politics and resources, Sarevok plans to start a war of sacrifice between Baldur's Gate and the kingdom of Amn to the south, causing enough carnage to become the new Lord of Murder. In the end, the Gorion's Ward defeats his brother Sarevok and sends his tainted soul back to Bhaal. Development Baldur's Gate was developed by the Canadian game developer Bioware, a company that had been founded by a pair of practicing physicians, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk. The game required ninety man-years of development, which was spent simultaneously creating the game's content and the Bioware Infinity Engine. The primary script engine for the game's AI was Lua. At the time that the game was first shipped, none of the sixty member team had previously participated in the release of a video game. The time pressure to complete the game led to the use of simple areas and game design. Ray Muzyka said the team held a "passion and a love of the art", and they developed a "collaborative design spirit." He believes that the game was successful because of a collaboration with Interplay. The game was published by Black Isle Studios, an internal division of Interplay. Reception Baldur's Gate received positive reviews from virtually every major computer gaming publication that reviewed it. The main criticism was of the problems with the path finding algorithm for non-player characters. Despite this, the game was deemed an "instant classic" because of the amount of customization allowed, the "fluid story lines", and the replayability. Some have claimed that Baldur's Gate revived the computer role-playing game genre, which was struggling at the time. The game was a financial success, selling over two million copies worldwide. Legacy Baldur's Gate was the first game in the Baldur's Gate series, which spawned three more software titles before the series ended. It was immediately followed by the expansion pack Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, then the sequel Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and its expansion pack Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. As of 2006, total sales for all releases in the series was almost five million copies. The series set the standard for other games using AD&D rules, especially those developed by Bioware and Black Isle Studios: Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, and Icewind Dale II. Post and current availability Baldur's Gate was re-released along with its expansion in 2000 as "Baldur's Gate Double Pack", and again in 2002 as a three CD collection entitled "Baldur's Gate: The Original Saga". In 2002, the game and its expansion were released along with Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter and Planescape: Torment as the "Black Isle Compilation". In 2004, it was re-released once again, this time along with Icewind Dale II, in Part Two of the Black Isle's compilation. More recently, Atari published the Baldur's Gate 4 in 1 Boxset including Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal on a combination of DVDs and CDs. Baldur's Gate and its expansion were released digitally on Good Old Games on September 23rd, 2010. Category:Games Category:Baldur's Gate series